The first exercise of its kind saw civilians young and old scrambling for cover as air-raid sirens wailed away. The drill was carried out a week after North Korea launched four ballistic missiles into the seas 124 miles from the Japanese coast.

Anti-missile rocket batteries have also been stationed in strategic areas including in the capital, Tokyo.

But now the first evacuation drill has been carried out to make sure the civilians protect themselves should Jong-un order an attack on Japan.

The exercise played out a scenario in which North Korea had fired a ballistic missile on the Japanese islands.

“The missile is seen to have landed within a 20-km (12-mile) boundary west of the Oga peninsula,” a speaker blared during the evacuation.

“The government is currently examining the damage.”

Residents of the largely rural peninsula jutting into the ocean about 280 miles north of the capital, Tokyo, made their way on Friday to a designated evacuation centre equipped with emergency kits and protective gear.